A predictor of aerobic threshold for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
Sawako Yamamoto, Yorimitsu Furukawa, Seiji Fukushima and 1 others
PMID 30214118WHAT IT FOUND
In men with reduced heart function, a simple measure of oxygen use during the first four minutes of exercise strongly predicted their aerobic threshold.
This link was absent in men with preserved heart function. The finding suggests a potential screening tool for a specific subgroup, but the study was tiny and male-only.
Key findings
01A significant correlation exists between the area under the oxygen uptake curve (V̇O 2 AUC) and the aerobic threshold (AT) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
02No significant correlation was found between V̇O 2 AUC and AT in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
03There were no significant differences in age, BMI, time constant, V̇O 2 AUC, or AT between the HFpEF and HFrEF groups, other than left ventricular ejection fraction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (28 participants). The study included only males, so results may not apply to females, who have higher heart failure morbidity. The study did not measure factors related to oxygen utilization such as muscle mass or mitochondrial function. Mediating effects of medications like insulin sensitizers were not considered.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and no funding sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this to justify skipping full exercise testing for all heart failure patients. The predictive link was only found in the subgroup with reduced ejection fraction and was absent in those with preserved function. Additionally, the study was too small and male-only to establish a general clinical rule.